Rubio Attacks Christie: ‘Our Next President…Cannot Be Someone Who Agrees

“It is insulting for Gov. Chris Christie to use his “State of the State” as a tool to score votes with ultra conservative voters in New Hampshire, as opposed to the people of New Jersey who he took an oath to serve”.

Gov. Chris Christie faced an attack Thursday night at the GOP presidential debate in SC from a Republican rival, something he’s largely managed to avoid during the five previous debates. “That is political calculation”.

Underscoring the split in the party that has defined the turbulent GOP primary, the more mainstream candidates on stage fought to edge their way into the debate. The senator was also on the defensive about his failed disclosure on federal election forms of some $1 million in loans from Wall Street banks during his 2012 Senate campaign, saying it was little more than a “paperwork error”.

Trump said he wasn’t offended by Haley’s speech and argued his anger is justified.

“The Constitution hasn’t changed – but the poll numbers have”, Cruz said. He said the key to approaching Syria is to bringing together other Arab countries that believe the Islamic State is a threat to combat the terrorists.

Trump also defended his call for blocking Muslims from the United States because of terror concerns emanating from overseas.

Christie responded by saying he stood onstage watching Rubio “rather indignantly” tell former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) that “someone told you that because we’re running for the same office, that criticizing me will get you to that office”.

“I’ve been for pausing the Syrian refugees”, Kasich said.

On the economy and national security, the candidates agreed any of them would be better than Obama or Hillary Clinton.

“I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution and that should be the goal of any such agency, to find private donations”, Christie said in response to a question about whether the county should provide funds to the group.

Bush suggested the country was less safe under Obama and declared Clinton would be a “national security disaster”. “They know that this Country is pushing the middle class, the hard working taxpayers backwards, and they saw a President who doesn’t understand their pain, and doesn’t have any plan for getting away from it”, he said. Businesswoman Carly Fiorina was bumped to the undercard event, as was Kentucky Sen.

Toward the end of the debate, a handful of audience members in the hall broke out into a “We want Rand” chant.

Thursday’s debate comes less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses kick off this year’s voting.